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Startling images as wildfires ravage Southern California

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Firefighters from Kern County, Calif., work to put out hot spots during a wildfire Dec. 16, 2017 in Montecito, Calif.
Chris Carlson, AP

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A firefighter from the California Conservation Crops Alder Camp works to put out hot spots during a wildfire Dec. 16, 2017 in Montecito, Calif.
Chris Carlson, AP

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Flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito, Calif. on Dec. 16, 2017. One of the largest wildfires in California history is now 40 percent contained but flames still threaten coastal communities as dry, gusty winds are predicted to continue. Some 8,000 firefighters are deployed to the so-called Thomas Fire, which has burned for nearly two weeks and still threatens 18,000 homes. Swaths of Santa Barbara County remain under evacuation orders.
Mike Eliason, Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP

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Firefighters from Kern County, Calif., work to put out hot spots during a wildfire Dec. 16, 2017 in Montecito, Calif.
Chris Carlson, AP

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A Bombardier 415 Superscooper makes a water drop on hot spots along the hillside east of Gibraltar Road as efforts to battle the Thomas Fire continue near Montecito, Calif. on Dec. 16, 2017.
Mike Eliason , Santa Barbara County Fire Department via EPA-EFE

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Kyle Cox, 7, uses a hose to water down the burning embers from an overnight fire near his home in Fillmore, California on Dec. 15, 2017, as the Thomas Fire flared up again, growing to 252,500 acres.
Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

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Firefighters water down burning embers from an overnight fire in Fillmore, California on Dec. 15, 2017, as the Thomas Fire flared up again, growing to 252,500 acres.
Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

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Los Angeles skyline is seen through burned trees after a brush fire erupted in the hills in Elysian Park in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2017.
Damian Dovarganes, AP

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Flames from a back firing operation underway rise behind a home off Ladera Lane near Bella Vista Drive in Santa Barbara, Calif on Dec. 14, 2017. Red Flag warnings for the critical combination of low humidity and strong winds expired for a swath of Southern California at midmorning but a new warning was scheduled to go into effect Saturday in the fire area due to the predicted return of winds. The so-called Thomas Fire, the fourth-largest in California history, was 35 percent contained after sweeping across more than 394 square miles of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties since it erupted Dec. 4 a few miles from Thomas Aquinas College.
Mike Eliason, Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP

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An Erickson MD-87, right, makes a Phos-chek drop while following the lead plane during continuing efforts to fight the Thomas Fire on East Camino Cielo above Montecito, Calif. on Dec. 14, 2017.
Mike Eliason , Santa Barbara County Fire Department via EPA-EFE

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Firefighters watch flames as the Thomas Fire approaches homes on Dec.12, 2017 in Montecito, Calif. The Thomas Fire has spread across 365 miles so far and destroyed about 800 structures since it began on Dec. 5 in Ojai.
David McNew, Getty Images

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A fire-fighting helicopter makes a water drop on a hotspot near a house in the Shepard Mesa neighborhood in Carpinteria, Calif.
Kenneth Song, Santa Barbara News-Press via AP

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Firefighting helicopters try to save a house from the Thomas wildfire in Carpinteria, Calif. on Dec. 10, 2017. The Thomas fire is only 15 percent contained, now threatening the city of Santa Barbara and the nearby coastal town of Carpinteria, making it one of the worst wildfires in California history.
Mark Ralston

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A house burns near Casitas Pass Road as the Thomas Fire continues to grow on Dec. 10, 2017 near Carpinteria, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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Firefighters move away from a burning house after discovering downed live power lines, as the Thomas wildfire continues to burn in Carpinteria, Calif. on Dec. 10, 2017.
Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images

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CalFire works in Ventura County as efforts continue against the Thomas Fire in Ojai, Calif. on Dec. 9, 2017. Several fires burning in various locations of Southern California with the Thomas Fire the largest at 148,000 acres burned, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate as one of the strongest Santa Ana winds forecast of the season have continued for much of the past week.
John Cetrino, EPA-EFE

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Fire burns utility poles in Ventura County as efforts continue against the Thomas Fire in Ojai, Calif. on Dec. 9, 2017.
John Cetrino, EPA-EFE

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Flames rise as a fire front approaches the Lake Casitas area on Dec. 8, 2017 near Ojai, Calif. Strong Santa Ana winds have been feeding major wildfires all week, destroying hundreds of houses and forcing tens of thousands of people to stay away from their homes.
David McNew, Getty Images

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National Guard helicopters make water drop as the Thomas Fire approaches the Lake Casitas area on Dec. 9, 2017 near Ojai, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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Firefighters watch after setting a backfire at night to make progress against the Thomas Fire before the winds return with the daylight near Lake Casitas on Dec. 9, 2017 near Ojai, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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Firefighters set a backfire to make progress against the Thomas Fire before the winds return with the daylight near Lake Casitas on Dec. 9, 2017 near Ojai, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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Firefighters put out burning embers from recent Ventura County fires in the Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai, California on Dec. 8, 2017. Unrelenting winds fanned towering flames in southern California, where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee multiple devastating fires in the Los Angeles area and new outbreaks near San Diego.
Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

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A thank you banner for firefigters is placed on a grass patch in Ojai, California on Dec. 8, 2017.
Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

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Firefighters monitor the Thomas fire as it burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif. on Dec. 8, 2017.
Noah Berger, AP

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A hillside glows with embers as the Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif. on Dec. 8, 2017.
Noah Berger, AP

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Judy Bell surveys the damage to her home on Dec. 8, 2017, in the community of Camino Cielo near Ojai, Calif., as the Thomas Fire burned for a fifth day.
Juan Carlo, The Ventura County Star via AP

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Marissa Sherman, left, reacts as she sees the destroyed home of her grandfather, Dick Marsala, right, after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club, on Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, Calif.
Gregory Bull, AP

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Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Friday, in Bonsall, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California.
Gregory Bull, AP

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Fire crews search for hot spots among destroyed homes in the Rancho Monserate Country Club community Friday.
Gregory Bull, AP

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Gary and Eileen Young of Pilgrim Creek rest at the Oceanside High School shelter as wildfires rip through Southern California.
Sean Logan, The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

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A street destroyed by the Lilac Fire in Rancho Monserate Country Club is pictured on Friday, in Fallbrook, Calif. The fire is just one of several wildfires raging throughout southern California.
Sean Logan, The Republic

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Firefighters put out burning embers from the Thomas Fire at the Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai, Calif.
Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

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A photo album damaged by fire is see amid the destruction of the Lilac Fire, Friday, at a retirement community in Fallbrook, in San Diego County Calif. Hot and dry Santa Ana winds have ignited wildfires across Southern California.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

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A wreath hangs on the gate of a burned property at the Lilac Fire in the early morning hours, Friday, near Bonsall, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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John Knapp examines the damage from the Lilac Fire in his neighborhood at Rancho Monserate Country Club.
Sean Logan, The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

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Firefighter Jason Scott of the Heartland Fire Dept., recovers a safe from a destroyed home in the Rancho Monserate Country Club Friday.
Gregory Bull, AP

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Local resident Pal Paricsy looks over the remains of his neighbors' homes destroyed by the Lilac Fire, Friday, in Bonsall, Calif.
Robiyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

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A structure burns at the Lilac Fire early Friday morning near Bonsall, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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Richard Timboe, right, and his son Steve move items out of Richards' home in Rancho Monserate Country Club. Much of the neighborhood was affected by the Lilac Fire, but Timboe's house survived.
Sean Logan, The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

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A home destroyed by the Lilac Fire is seen in Rancho Monserate Country Club on Friday, in Fallbrook, Calif.
Sean Logan, The Republic

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Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club.
Gregory Bull, AP

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A firefighter douses a smoldering pile of wood chips and mulch, sparked by a wildfire Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations.
Gregory Bull, AP

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A street destroyed by the Lilac Fire in Rancho Monserate Country Club.
Sean Logan, The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

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Horses that survived the Lilac Fire in their stalls are loaded onto a trailer in the early Friday morning, near Bonsall, Calif.
David McNew, Getty Images

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Firefighters break up hotspots in an attempt to halt the spread of the Lilac Fire, on Friday.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

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Firefighter Simon Garcia, of Heartland Fire Dept., gets a hug from a woman after she arrived to find her house was intact in the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Friday.
Gregory Bull, AP

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Exhausted firefighters have their first rest in over 20 hours since starting to fight the Lilac Fire, in Bonsall, Calif.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

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John Knapp's back windshield is covered in red splatters from fire retardant dumped over Rancho Monserate Country Club, which was affected by the Lilac Fire, on Friday.
Sean Logan, The Republic

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Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway, Thursday, north of Ventura, Calif. Ffirefighters occasionally used a flare device to burn-off brush close to the roadside.
Mario Tama, Getty Images

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Christy Woodhams and her son Josh Lowe inspect the remains of the cabin they were staying in that belonged to her cousin at Camp Bartlett, in Santa Paula, Calif.
Richard Lui, The Desert Sun via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway on Dec. 7, 2017, north of Ventura, Calif. The firefighters occasionally used a flare device to burn-off brush close to the roadside.
Mario Tama, Getty Images

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Firefighter Mike Warren, part of a Portland, Ore., crew battling the Thomas fire, stages in Ojai, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2017. The biggest and most destructive of the windblown fires raking Southern California shut down one of the region's busiest freeways Thursday and threatened Ojai, a scenic mountain town dubbed "Shangri-La" and known for its boutique hotels and New Age spiritual retreats.
Noah Berger, AP

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A helicopter drops water while battling the Thomas fire in Ojai, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2017.
Noah Berger, AP

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A group of horse rescuers stages in a parking lot as smoke from the Thomas fire billows over Ojai, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2017. The volunteers, who met through a Facebook group, estimated that they have evacuated more than 100 horses from the fire.
Noah Berger, AP

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A firefighter battles a wildfire at Faria State Beach in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2017. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes.
Jae C. Hong, AP

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Palm trees sway in a gust of wind as a firefighter carries a water hose while battling a wildfire at Faria State Beach in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2017.
Jae C. Hong, AP

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Two firefighters watch as a home burns in a wildfire in La Conchita, Calif., Dec. 7, 2017. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes.
Jae C. Hong, AP

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Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura, California, December 7, 2017.
Kyle Grillot, AFP/Getty Images

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A motorists on Highway 101 watches flames from the Thomas fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 6, 2017.
Noah Berger, AP

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A section of the Thomas Fire burns on a bluff on Dec. 7, 2017 in La Conchita, Calif.
Mario Tama, Getty Images

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Orange County firefighter Robert Bucho tapes off Highway 150 near Santa Paula for caution as power lines brought down by the Thomas Fire block the road. The road is closed until further notice.
Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Firefighter Dan Whelan is silhouetted against the sun as he battles a wildfire burning near Faria State Beach in Ventura, Calif., Dec. 7, 2017.
Jae C. Hong, AP

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A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, Calif. on Dec. 6, 2017.
Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images

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A volunteer passes supplies donated to Thomas fire evacuees in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 6, 2017. As many as five fires have closed highways, schools and museums, shut down production of TV series and cast a hazardous haze over the region. About 200,000 people were under evacuation orders. No deaths and only a few injuries were reported.
Noah Berger, AP

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A family wears face masks as they walk through the smoke filled streets after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, Calif. on Dec. 6, 2017.
California motorists commuted past a blazing inferno Wednesday as wind-whipped wildfires raged across the Los Angeles region, with flames triggering the closure of a major freeway and mandatory evacuations in an area dotted with mansions.
Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images

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A new wildfire broke out overnight in some of Los Angeles' most exclusive neighborhoods. As the fire climbs up the canyon wall, firefighters race to save the homes along the 1700 block of Linda Flora in the upscale Bel Air Estates area of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

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LAFD Captain Scott Quinn coordinates the attack on two fires of homes in the upscale Bel Air Estates area of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

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Dense vegetation along the canyon walls fueled the fires even with constant water drops from helicopters in Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

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Firefighters try to save a house in the 1700 block of Linda Flora in the upscale Bel Air Estates area of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

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Firefighters work in the Bel Air Estates area of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

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A vintage Mercedes sits in ruins along with a burned home in the Bel Air Estates area of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

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A horse rider heads back to his home as other owners start to evacuate their horses during the Creek Fire in Lake View Terrace, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017.
Joe Lumaya, Ventura County Star, via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Residents watch fire retardant dropped on an area of the Rye Canyon Fire, one of several fires burning in Southern California.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

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As the sun sets, a resident watches the Rye Canyon Fire in Stevenson Ranch, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017. The Rye Canyon Fire had burned over 5,000 acres by 4 p.m. The fire forced the evacuation of several schools in the area and the closure of several roads.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

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Residents gather on Poe Parkway in Stevenson Ranch, Calif., to watch the Rye Canyon Fire, one of several burning in Southern California.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

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Michael and Vonea McQuillam stand beside their house that was burned to the ground during the Thomas wildfire in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017. Firefighters battled a wind-whipped brush fire in Southern California that has left at least one person dead, destroyed more than 150 homes and businesses and forced tens of thousands to flee.
Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images

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A fireman walks past a totally engulfed burning home at the corner of North Fir and Buena Vista Street at 2:00 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2017.
Chuck Kirmanv, Ventura County Star, via USA TODAY NETWORK

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A man rides his bike past a home consumed by a wildfire on Dec. 5, 2017, in Ventura, Calif.
Jae C. Hong, AP

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James and Josie Ralstin carry belongings from their Ventura, Calif., home as flames from a wildfire consume another residence on Dec. 5, 2017. The couple evacuated early Tuesday morning as the fire approached, but returned to retrieve medications and other property.
Noah Berger, AP

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Horses are evacuated from a ranch along Kagel Canyon at the Creek fire on Dec. 5, 2017, in La Canada Flintridge, Calif. Raked by ferocious Santa Ana winds, explosive wildfires northwest of Los Angeles and in the city's foothills burned a psychiatric hospital and scores of other structures Tuesday and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News, via AP

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Engineer Brock Harmon from the L.A. Fire Department sprays water on a burning home at the corner of North Fir and Buena Vista Streets in Ventura on Dec. 5, 2017.
Chuck Kirmanv, Ventura County Star, via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Firefighters put out flames near a home along Kagel Canyon Road at the Creek fire on Dec. 5, 2017, in Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles .
David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News, via AP

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A home totally engulfed in flames from the Thomas fire at the corner of North Fir and Buena Vista Street in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017.
Chuck Kirmanv, Ventura County Star, via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Homeowner Alan Barnard walks past the remains of his RV from a wildfire in the Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2017.
Chris Carlson, AP

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As the Hawaiian Village apartments burn a man dodges embers and has a hose ready to spray his rooftop on Polin Street in Ventura, Calif.
Chuck Kirmanv, Ventura County Star, via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Smoke from the Creek wildfire in the San Gabriel Mountains, the second range behind the Hollywood Hills, home of the Hollywood sign, looms up over Los Angeles Tuesday morning on Dec. 5, 2017.
Reed Saxon, AP

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Flames rise near a home as a wildfire burns in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017. Ferocious winds in Southern California have whipped up explosive wildfires, burning a psychiatric hospital and scores of other structures.
Jae C. Hong, AP

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The Hawaiian Village apartments burn out of control from the Thomas fire in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017.
Chuck Kirmanv, Ventura County Star, via USA TODAY NETWORK

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Greg Smith stands amid the ruins of his home after the Thomas fire swept through Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017.
Daniel Dreifuss, AP

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Smoke rises behind a leveled apartment complex as a wildfire burns in Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017. Over 100 structures have burned so far in Ventura County, officials said.
Noah Berger, AP

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A firefighter checks damage to a home at Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2017.
David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News, via AP